In the construction of buildings, outdoor structures, or the like, it is often desirable to utilize a beam or column which includes a plurality of boards rather than an integral post made from a single piece of building material such as wood. Many embodiments of composite assemblies use one or more connectors to connect the plurality of component boards into the composite assembly. The composite assembly made from a plurality of board can serve as a less expensive substitute for integral posts made from a single piece of wood. Additionally, due to the laminated structure of the composite assembly, such columns can often be stronger than a similarly dimensioned column constructed from a single piece of material.
It is also known to provide a composite assembly that includes a series of elongated layers which are secured together in a lengthwise fashion but are also secured to an elongated ground-engaging member. In such composite assembly, particularly a column, the upper elongated members are normally constructed of a non-treated wood, while the lower elongated member is typically constructed of a decay inhibitive or resistive material. Previously this had been provided by chemically treated wood, for example wood infused with a chemical compound for example, chromated copper arsenate (CCA) to prevent the natural process of decay of the ground-engaging wood. Restrictions on the use of this and other potentially hazardous chemicals have prompted the development and use of other solutions for providing the ground-engaging portion of composite construction columns. Recently, the applicant has developed a composite assembly for a support column that uses a ground-engaging portion that is constructed of a plastic or plastic containing material. The support columns are described in further detail, for example in U.S. Pat. No. 9,719,257, previously published as Application Publication No. 2017/0073972 and entitled Friction Fit Composite Column, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.